“What do Beyoncé, Britney and Taylor Swift have in common? Their behind-the-curtain movies are iconic

“What do Beyoncé, Britney and Taylor Swift have in common? Their behind-the-curtain movies are iconic - Metro.co.uk” plus 2 more

What do Beyoncé, Britney and Taylor Swift have in common? Their behind-the-curtain movies are iconic - Metro.co.uk
Top Oscar performances, from Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga to Beyonce - Fox News
The untold truth of Beyoncé - Nicki Swift

What do Beyoncé, Britney and Taylor Swift have in common? Their behind-the-curtain movies are iconic - Metro.co.uk

Posted: 05 Feb 2020 12:00 AM PST

Taylor Swift Miss Americana Netflix — As a big pop fan, these docs are basically my lifeblood (Picture: Netflix)

There's a moment in Taylor Swift's new Netflix film Miss Americana in which the megastar becomes tearful as she insists that she's dead set on publicly voicing a political opinion for the first time.

Filmed shortly before she famously came out against the extremely right-wing Marsha Blackburn in 2018, one of the most famous women in the world is seen talking passionately to a handful of unimpressed-looking men – including her father – and being warned of the potential business ramifications of being seen as anti-Republican.

Emotional but fiercely determined to be on 'the right side of history', she tells Scott Swift: 'I don't care… I need you to forgive me for doing it, because I'm doing it.'

This peek behind the curtain at such a widely discussed moment in pop culture – the apparent awakening of the apolitical Taylor Swift – is one of many reasons why Miss America will become one of the all-time-great pop music documentaries.

In short, it does what all the best films of this genre do: it puts you in its subject's shoes and allows you to understand their thinking; to get a firmer grasp of what they're really like behind all the fuss and fanfare.

As a big pop fan, these docs are basically my lifeblood.

Forget the latest Marvel blockbusters, forget Fast And Furious 273, forget Scorsese's newest four-hour epic… my idea of an unmissable cinematic event is seeing a world-famous pop queen reveal their inner turmoil in a feature-length one-off.

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See, these stars – whose records we buy, whose tours we attend, whose music videos and lyrics we dissect – are, even in the age of fast-paced online news and social media, still pretty elusive.

So being able to go beyond the headlines and the 280-character limit of a tweet to get a more in-depth idea of how these people work is absolutely fascinating.

Of course, there is an extent to which you have to take these films with a pinch of salt. They can just be convoluted exercises in good PR, after all; like One Direction's almost completely drama-free This Is Us, or Girls Aloud's reunion-promoting Ten Years At The Top.

But even if they do only show one side of a story, it's a side we're gagging to hear.

Remember Katy Perry: Part Of Me? In scenes so emotional they made The Notebook look like a rip-roaring comedy, we witnessed the harrowing reality of Perry's then-husband Russell Brand ending their marriage while she was in the midst of an enormous world tour.

With the camera keeping a safe distance, we saw her pre-concert in floods of tears, trying to pull herself together right up until the heart-stopping moment she went on stage in front of thousands of people and had to force a million-dollar smile; as if her whole world hadn't just fallen apart. Honestly, in the big-screen trauma stakes, the demise of Bambi's mum had nothing on that.

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Going back a little further, Spice Girls' 2007 retrospective Giving You Everything gave a frank recollection of their rise and fall, and Britney Spears' legendary 2008 special For The Record was so iconic I bought it on DVD.

Filmed in the aftermath of her highly-publicised personal troubles across 2007 and early 2008, it allowed her to reflect on what was – at the time – the biggest ongoing celebrity story in the world.

In one startlingly honest moment that feels quite haunting today given the continuing speculation around her wellbeing, she said: 'When I tell them the way I feel, it's like they hear but they're really not listening. I never wanted to become one of those prisoner people. I always wanted to feel free.'

This is why I was so obsessed with ITV2's The Big Reunion when it was on-air. The show followed popular bands from the '90s as they reunited and put on a comeback performance. Who knew there was so much drama to be unearthed within B*Witched, or Atomic Kitten, or 5ive? Frankly I'm counting down the days until they reboot it with The Saturdays, The Wanted and any-and-all incarnations of the Sugababes.

Steps: Reunion, too, was fascinating; exposing the dark underbelly of outwardly cheesy pop by making the five members sit down together for the first time since H and Claire walked out 10 years earlier.

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Excuse the sharp pivot from Steps to Beyoncé, but these docs are also brilliant for their lighter moments; and Queen Bey's excellent Homecoming was amazing for those.

Between jaw-dropping footage of her Coachella set, we got glimpses of an elusive cultural icon lovingly beaming like any mother would as she collected her baby twins, and being absolutely jubilant at being able to fit back into a pre-pregnancy outfit.

Given how rarely she gives interviews and how little she reveals of her 'real' life on social media, those quick glimpses of her behaving like a completely normal human being were so heart-warming and endearing – and perhaps even more effective on-screen than the reveal of some scandalous backstage secret.

There's something similar in Miss Americana, actually, when Taylor's trying to stop everything on her aeroplane table from moving around mid-turbulence and has to use her nose to stop her dinner falling into her lap. Those goofy, humanising moments make these stars less of an unrelatable entity and more of an everyday person, and it's engrossing.

So who next?

I personally would watch the hell out of a look back at Lizzo's ascent to bona-fide pop cultural icon, and should Rihanna ever decide to grace us with new music, a documentary to mark her phenomenal career thus far would also go down a treat.

If One Direction felt like making something a little more honest than This Is Us too, I also wouldn't be mad.

But for the time being, I'll just be over here, re-watching Demi Lovato's Simply Complicated for the fifth time.

MORE: Miss Americana shows we may have been too quick to judge Taylor Swift

MORE: Beyonce finally gets a good wax figure as Homecoming performance is immortalised

MORE: Katy Perry appointed as ambassador of Asian Trust by Prince Charles

Top Oscar performances, from Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga to Beyonce - Fox News

Posted: 03 Feb 2020 12:00 AM PST

The Academy Awards aren't just for movies.

Throughout the storied history of the Oscars, there has been a wealth of spectacular musical performances that captivated the audience and the millions watching at home.

From Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga to Beyonce, here are some of the top Oscar performances of all time:

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Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, "Endless Love," 1982

Lionel Richie and Diana Ross perform "Endless Love" at the 54th Academy Awards. (Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)

Lionel Richie and Diana Ross dazzled the audience at the 54th Academy Awards with the heart-melting performance of their chart-topping duet, "Endless Love."

Donning a black tuxedo, Richie gracefully hit every note while maintaining his focus on Ross, fueling an incredibly palpable tension onstage.

Ross, in a white dress and adorned with bedazzling jewelry, provided the perfect accompaniment for Richie as they performed the iconic R&B classic.

Madonna, "Sooner or Later," 1991

Michael Jackson (left) and Madonna arrive at the Shrine Civic Auditorium for the 63rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony. (David McGough/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)

The Queen of Pop became the Queen of Jazz during the 63rd Academy Awards during her spectacular performance of "Sooner or Later."

Channeling her inner Marilyn Monroe, Madonna rocked a silk white dress and voluminous blonde curls reminiscent of the late Hollywood icon.

With every move carefully choreographed and every high note hit, Madonna's jazz performance further proved why she is the musical icon that she is today.

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Elton John, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," 1995

Elton John during The 67th Annual Academy Awards. (Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Well, can you?

Our favorite Rocketman, Elton John, performed the "Lion King" classic at the 67th Academy Awards.

In a show dominated by "Lion King" performances, John's song ultimately took home the award of best original song that year.

Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On," 1998

Celine Dion performs "My Heart Will Go On" during the 70th Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium during the 70th Academy Awards. "My Heart Will Go On" won the Oscar for best original song. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/GettyImages)

Has Celine Dion ever had a bad performance?

Performing in front of a heavenly orchestra adorned in white, the Canadian songstress took the stage at the 70th Academy Awards to perform a literal heart-pounding rendition of her classic song, "My Heart Will Go On."

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Robin Williams, "Blame Canada," 2000

Robin Williams performs the song "Blame Canada", a song nominated for Best Original Song, during the 72nd Academy Awards 26 March 2000 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

The late Robin Williams along with a horde of mounties took to the stage at the 72nd Academy Awards to perform "Blame Canada" — the hit song from the film "South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut."

Unfortunately, the South Park track lost to Phil Collins' "You'll Be in My Heart" for best original song.

Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls" medley, 2007

Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles, and Anika Noni Rose perform during the 79th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre on February 25, 2007 in Hollywood, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Taking the stage for three songs, Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson captivated audiences with their performances of "Love You I Do," "Listen" and "Patience" from the film "Dreamgirls."

The performance of "Patience" also included "Dreamgirls" co-stars Anika Noni Rose and Keith Robinson.

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Adele, "Skyfall," 2013

Adele performs "Skyfall" onstage during the Oscars held at the Dolby Theatre on Feb. 24, 2013. (Mark Davis/WireImage)

Adele wowed the audience at the 85th Academy Awards with her performance of "Skyfall" — the titular theme song from the 2012 James Bond film.

"Skyfall" won best original song during the Academy Awards that year.

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Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, "Shallow," 2019

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga perform onstage during the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on Feb. 24, 2019. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Bradley Cooper successfully shed the skin of his "Hangover" days when he made his directorial debut in 2018 with "A Star is Born" — in which he co-starred alongside Lady Gaga.

Both Cooper and Gaga graced the stage at the 91st Academy Awards to deliver a performance of "Shallow" from the film, which received critical acclaim from the audience.

W Magazine wrote, "Cooper and Gaga's connection was so strong, at the end of their performance their mouths were a couple of breaths away from a kiss."

The untold truth of Beyoncé - Nicki Swift

Posted: 05 Feb 2020 12:00 AM PST

If anyone is a contender to someday take home an EGOT (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony), it's Beyoncé. The Grammy Awards have honored her 24 times, and she's got eight Emmy Award nominations for her variety shows and Super Bowl halftime show. It's reasonable to think she'll win one of those someday, and maybe a Tony for some future Broadway musical performance. Also, Beyoncé has acted in, sang in, and written songs for lots of movies, and yet an Academy Award nomination has proved surprisingly elusive.

She put in a powerhouse performance in the 2006 film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls, and also co-wrote "Listen," one of her character's big numbers. That song earned a nomination for outstanding Original Song, but Beyoncé wouldn't have received an Oscar had it won. Per MTV, the Academy Awards enacted a rule in 2005 which capped the number of individuals that could be nominated for one project at three. Then it decided that Beyoncé didn't contribute as much to "Listen" as its other songwriters, Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, and Anne Preven. More than a decade later, Beyoncé co-wrote "Spirit" for the remake of The Lion King. It made it to the Academy's Original Song short list, but ultimately wasn't among the final nominees.